Coin box device

ABSTRACT

THE INVENTION PERTAINS TO A COIN BOX DEVICE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND PASS COINS THERETHROUGH INTO A COLLECTING BOX AND TO PREVENT DISCHARGE OR RELEASE OF COINS THEREFROM ECEPT BY THE OPENING OF A SIMPLE DOOR OR OTHER DISHCARGE AVENUE FOR RELEASE OF COLLECTED COINS. THE COIN BOX DEVICE OF THIS INVENTION IS PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO PREVENT THEFT OF COINS FROM THE BOX. A GATE IS PROVIDED AT THE COIN RECEIVING DEVICE WHICH ALLOWS COINS TO PASS INTO THE BOX CHAMBER BUT PREVENTS THOSE COINS FROM PASSING OUT OF SUCH CHAMBER THROUGH THE RECEIVING DEVICE. THIS GATE IS DISPOSED ADJACENT A WALL OR PANEL THAT LIMITS ROTATION OF COINS THROUGH THE GATE OPENING, THUS PREVENTING DISCHARGE OF THE COINS THROUGH THE GATE AND RECEIVING DEVICE COIN SLOT OPENING EVEN THOUGH IN REGISTER WITH EACH OTHER.

Sept. 20, 1971 w, DAVIDSON E'I'AL 3,506,145

COIN BOX DEVICE Filed March 26. 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

I INVI5NIORS y WILLIAM J. DAVIDSON a BY JOHN E. MONTGOMERY ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1971 w, DAVlDSON ErAL 3,606,145

COIN BOX DEVICE Filed March 26. 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

I NVEN'I'ORS WILLIAM J DAVIDSON a BY JOHN E. MONTGOMERY ATTORNEY p 20, 1971 w. J. DAVIDSON: Er L 3,606,145

COIN BOX DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 26, 1970 WILLIAM J. DAVIDSON BI JOHN E. MONTGOMERY L ma.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,606,145 COIN BOX DEVICE William J. Davidson, 23300 Beierman Ave., Warren,

Mich. 48091, and John E. Montgomery, 7017 Norhorne Ave., Dear-born Heights, Mich. 48127 Filed Mar. 26, 1970, Ser. No. 22,906 Int. Cl. 365g 11/04 US. Cl. 232-62 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention pertains to a coin box device adapted to receive and pass coins therethrough into a collecting box and to prevent discharge or release of coins therefrom except by the opening of a simple door or other discharge avenue for release of collected coins. The coin box device of this invention is primarily designed to prevent theft of coins from the box. A gate is provided at the coin receiving device which allows coins to pass into the box chamber but prevents those coins from passing out of such chamber through the receiving device. This gate is disposed adjacent a wall or panel that limits rotation of coins through the gate opening, thus preventing discharge of the coins through the gate and receiving device coin slot openings even though in register with each other.

The invention pertains particularly to coin boxes used in automatic vending machines. These machines, as is well known, contain unit packages of merchandise of varying kinds, displayed through a glass panel or door and are sold by the insertion of coins through a coin receiving device which actuates a package release mechanism for discharge of the selected merchandise. After the coins pass. through the receiving mechanism, they are discharged or dropped into a coin collecting box.

At the present time, the conventional coin receiving box comprises a rectangular box open at its top with side walls, front and rear Walls and a bottom wall. A man servicing the vending machine with merchandise must open the machine, and so he generally empties the contents of the coin box into a coin bag, replaces the box in coin receiving position in the vending machine, and closes the machine, making it ready for further sales. The machine is also opened and checked by a supervisor. At times, if the machine requires mechanical servicing, a machine repairman will open the machine and Work on it.

It is not unusual, in view of these machines being subject to opening by from one to at least three persons, to find upon inventory checks of merchandise, that all of the coins collected by the machine are not delivered to the company owning and stocking such machines. Theft at times reaches substantial proportions and such losses could well and do ofttimes eliminate profitable operations.

It is an object of the invention to prevent and substantially eliminate the theft of coins from a coin box designed for use in an automatic vending machine. A further object is to provide a fully closed and locked coin box having a coin receiving device in the form of a chute, allowing the coins to slide through a coin receiving opening in the device, a coin slot in the chute and a gate opening, and into the coin box collecting chamber.

Still another object is to provide in such a coin box a coin receiving chute, a gate for the chute at the chute coin slot, and an adjacent spaced wall or panel disposed at a distance from the gate and substantially in parallel therewith, so that the collected coins will not be allowed to rotate from the coin box chamber into and through the gate and coin receiving slot openings. Yet another object is to provide a gate for the coin receiving chute so that when the coin box is tilted or inverted, the gate will close otf access to the coin passage slot of the chute.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description given below, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example preferred forms of the invention. Reference is here made to the drawings annexed hereto and forming an integral part of this specification, in which FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a coin receiving chute device arranged with a sliding gate and the adjacent spaced wall, the gate coin slot opening being in register with the chute device coin slot opening for passing coins to the chamber of a coin box.

FIG. 1a is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken substantially on the line 151-141 of FIG. 1, of the device therein illustrated but shown inverted, whereby the sliding gate has now fallen to a position closing the coin slot opening of the chute device.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, on the scale of FIG. 1, illustrating a modified arrangement of the spaced wall attached to the sliding gate.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coin box embodying the inventive coin theft-preventing device.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are plan, longitudinal vertical sectional, and transverse vertical sectional views taken substantially on the lines 44, 55, and 6-6 respectively of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view, substantially on the scale of FIG. 1, of a coin receiving chute device arranged with a pivoting gate and an adjacent space panel connected to the front Wall of the chute device.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view, similar to that illustrated in FIG. 7, showing a modified arrangement of the spaced gate panel attached to the chute device.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the coin receiving device of FIG. 7 embodied in a coin box showing the pivoting gate in closing relationship over the coin slot, with the adjacent facing box wall broken away.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view of a portion of the coin chute receiving device with a pivoting gate.

FIG. 11 is a vertical transverse sectional view, similar to that illustrated in FIG. 10, showing the fragmentary portion of FIG. 10 in an inverted attitude, with the pivoting gate closed against the coin passing slot of the chute device.

As shown more particularly in FIGS. 1, 1a and 2, the coin theft-preventing device of this invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, comprises a coin receiving chute device 12 with a sliding gate 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2), the modified sliding gate 16 (FIG. 2), or the pivoting gate 96 (FIGS. 7 and 8).

The coin chute device 12 comprises an inclined panel 18, end walls 20, and a front Wall 22 having a coin slot opening 24 closely adjacent the lower end of the inclined panel 18. A relatively short rear wall 26 is provided at the upper edge of the inclined panel 18. The device 12 is further provided with laterally projecting flanges 28, 28 at the upper edges of the end walls 20, 20, a flange 30 at the upper edge of the front wall 22, and optionally a flange 32 at the upper edge of the rear wall 26. These top flanges are provided as means for securement of the device 10 in a coin box, to be more fully described below.

The sliding gate 14 (FIGS. 1 and 1a) comprises end panels 36, 36 arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other a distance suflicient to just overlie and slide upon the end walls 20, 20 of the coin receiving device 12, the panels 36 being each provided with parallel aligned slots 38 sufiicient to pass the shank of headed rivets, lugs or screws 40 fixedly secured to the end walls 20, 20 of the device 12, a front panel 42 adapted to closely overlie the front wall 22 of the device 12 and provided With a coin passing slot 44 disposed therethrough so as to come into register with the coin slot 24 of the front wall 22 when the gate is in its lower position (FIG. 1), a web 46 extending from the upper edge of the front panel 42, and a depending wall or panel 48 disposed in parallel to the gate panel 42 and at a distance therefrom greater than one-half the diameter of the largest coin expected to be received through the gate slot 44, but less than the full diameter of the smallest coin expected.

The modified sliding gate 16 illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises the same end and front panels 36, 36 and 42 respectively, but the spaced Wall 50, comparable to the wall 48 of the gate 14, is connected to the gate end panels 36, 36 by legs 52, 52, the edges of which are preferably secured to the end panels by spot Welding or other suitable means.

As shown particularly in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the coin theft-preventing device is embodied and secured in the coin box as follows. The box 60 generally comprises the side walls 62, 62, the rear end wall 64 provided adjacent its upper edge with a transverse slot 66, a bottom wall 68, and an overlying cover for the box, the cover comprising a top panel 72 having an opening 74 therethrough of a size adapted to be substantially in register with the top opening 54 of the coin device 10, and a front panel 76 which may optionally be arranged with a lock device 78 adapted to lock the cover 70 to the box 60. Of course, the cover 70 can be secured in any other suitable way or by any other suitable means so as to completely secure the coins received in the chamber of the box 60. The cover 70 is further provided with overlying side flanges 80, 80, a rear flange 82 which has an inturned lug 84 adapted to enter slot 66 of the rear box 'Wall 64 for engaging the cover 70 therewith, and front flanges 86, 86 overlying the spaced apart forward edges or flanges of the side walls 62, 62 of box 60.

The coin receiving theft-preventing device 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, embodies a further slight modification in that, because of the spacing of the outer wall 62 (FIG. 6), i.e., the wall at the right adjacent but spaced from the modified device 10, there is no requirement for a spaced Wall 48 (FIGS. 1 and 1a) or 50 (FIG. 2). The device 10 is secured to the cover panel 72 in such a position that the distance of the sliding gate 90 from the adjacent outer box wall 62 is dimensionally greater than one-half the diameter of the largest coin passed through the chute slot 24 and less than the full diameter of the smallest expected coin.

The sliding gate 90 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6), as in the gates 14 and 16, comprises the spaced parallel end panels 36, 36 having the aligned parallel slots 38 and the front panel 42 provided with the coin slot 44. But no spaced wall or panel is attached to the gate, such being provided by the adjacent box wall 62.

Alternatively, a pivoting gate can be used to close the coin slot 24 of the chute device in place of the sliding gate 14, 16 or 90. One such pivoting gate structure is illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. The device comprises spaced apart side or end walls 102, 102 having laterally extending top flanges 104, 104, a front wall 106 having a forwardly extending top flange 108 (FIG. 8) or a web 110 (FIG. 7) from the forward edge of which depends a spaced gate panel 112 substantially parallel to the plane of the front wall 106, a coin slot 114 disposed in the front Wall 106 adjacent its lower edge and adapted to pass a plurality of coins simultaneously therethrough from the inclined chute panel 116 secured to the side walls 104, 104 and having a relatively short rear Wall 118 from which extends the rearwardly directed top flange 120. The top flanges 104, 104, 108 or 110, and 120 are designed to be secured to the cover top plate 72 about the coin passing opening 74 therein substantially the same as in the case of the device 10 (FIGS. 3-6), as by spot welding the flanges to the underside of the top cover:

plate, by soldering, or by the use of a suitable adhesive.

An alternative arrangement for the spaced gate panel is illustrated in FIG. 8, wherein the gate panel 124 is provided With parallel laterally extending legs or flanges 126, 126, the forward edges of which are secured to the side walls 102, 102 by spot-welding or adhesives, or by other suitable means. The panel is comparable to the spaced gate panel 50 illustrated in FIG. 2 and described above.

The hinged or swinging gate for the device 100 comprises the body portion 132 terminating at its lower end in the coin slot overlying and closing portion 134, and at its opposite end in the tubular member 136 adapted to receive a pivot pin 138 extending fully through the tubular end and the side Walls 102, 102 of the device 100', whereby the gate 130 pivots upon and depends from the pin 138. A portion of the tubular member 136 intermediate the lateral edges thereof is formed into a detent 140 adapted to bear upon the underside of the inclined panel 116 and limit the rearward travel or movement of the gate 130 when in depending attitude as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, and adjusted so that upon inversion of the coin box the gate 130 will pivot forwardly into coin slot closing attitude or position across the lower end of the front wall 106.

As shown particularly in FIG. 9, the pivoting gate device 100, embodied in the coin box 60 there shown in inverted attitude, is secured to the top cover plate 72 and the pivoting gate 130 overlies the coin slot 114. In this structure, as in the coin box illustrated in FIGS. 3-6 inclusive, the spaced gate panel now comprises the box wall 62, no supplementary gate panel such as the panel 112 or 124 of FIG. 7 or 8 being required. Where the coin box 60 is relatively narrow, the box side wall 62 can serve as the spaced gate panel for the coin slot 114 to the same purpose and function as the gate panels 112 or 124.

The device 10 is secured to the underside of the cover top plate 72 preferably by spot welding, soldering, or adhering the flanges 28, 28 and 30 to the top plate. If space permits, the rear lateral flange 32 may also be provided and secured to the top plate, but it is not necessary particularly if the short rear wall 26 can be secured by spot welding to the box side wall 62, as shown in FIG. 6.

When the chute device 10 is assembled with any one of the gates 14, 16 or 90 and secured to the cover 70, such gate operates by sliding a distance equal to at least the length of the slot 38. When the gate is in normal vertically operating position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, its coin slot 44 will come into register with the coin slot 24 of the chute device 12. Upon inverting the box 60, the gate will slide so that the solid portion of panel 42 adjacent and below the slot 44 will overlie and close the coin slot opening 24 in the chute wall 22 and thus prevent coins leaving by the slots.

The coin slot 24 of the front wall 22 of chute device 10, the coin slot 114 of the front wall 106 of the device 100, and the coin slot 44 of sliding gates 14, 16 or 90 preferably extend in their respective front walls and front panels to points substantially closely adjacent the lateral edges thereof. In any case, the width of the slot is substantially greater than the full diameter of the largest coin expected to be received through these devices. Very often several coins are dropped simultaneously into the coin box and the width and height of these coin slots should therefore be great enough to receive and pass more than one coin at a time. The height of the coin slots 24, 114 and 44 must of course be greater than the thickness of the thickest coin expected to be received through the devices 10 and 100, and it should be less than the full diameter of the smallest coin expected to be received. Preferably, the height of the coin slots should be no greater than half the diameter of the largest coin expected to be received through the device. Such height would normally permit several coins to pass through simultaneously, if stacked one upon the other, as they slide down the inclined "panel 18 or 116 through the coin slot 24 or 114, respectively.

An alternate pivoting gate 150, illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, may also be used instead of the sliding gate. To provide the required control, the front Wall 106 of the chute device 100 is arranged with the depending spacer gate panel 112 attached to or integrally formed with the overhanging front flange 110, as in the case of the device illustrated in FIG. 7. The pivoting gate 150, in the form of a butt-type hinge, is provided With pivoting leaves 152 and 154, the leaf 152 being secured, preferably by spot welding or soldering, to the lower depending portion 156 of the chute front wall 106 extending below the coin slot 114, the height of the depending leaf 154 being sufficiently great so that it will close the coin slot opening 114 in front wall 106 when the gate leaf pivots about the hinge pin 158 and overlies the coin slot. -FIG. 11 illustrates the hinged closure or gate 154 in coin slot closing relationship against the front wall 106 when the coin box is inverted, in an attempt to extract coins from the coin box without removing its cover 70.

To remove coins from the box 60 without unlocking the cover 70 therefrom, there may be an attempt to insert a blade or device through the slots 24 and 44 to maintain them in open position, while inverting the coin box, and by such means to shake coins through the slots and out of the chute and box openings 54 and 74. However, the hereinabove described spacing of the gate panel 48, 50, 112 or 124, or the coin box wall 62 from the adjacent front panel 42 of the slide gate or the gate portion 134 of the pivoting gate 130, or the gate leaf 154 of the gate 150, will substantially prevent egress of a coin through the gate slot 44, because the distance is less than the full diameter of such coin, and it is practically impossible to enter slots 44 and 24 or 114 with the gate closures overlying them unless the coin is substantially normal to the planes of such slots. It has been found practically impossible to shake coins from the coin box chamber while in verting and shaking the box and maintaining the two slots in register with each other. This beneficial and advantageous result is achieved by the use of the spaced panel 48, 50, 112 or 124, or box wall 62 which forms an essential element and component of the structural combination of this invention. With such spaced panel or wall, rotation of coins from the coin box chamber into and through the slots 44 and 24, or 114, is substantially prevented.

The coin receiving chute device 10 as described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 1a, or as modified with the gate 16 (FIG. 2), or the gate 90 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6), each operates in the coin box 10 in substantially the same way. In the normal operation of an automatic vending machine, coins received through the top cover opening 74 and the chute opening 54, and through coin slots 24 and 44, will collect in the chamber of the box 60 until there is a sizable quantity of such coins. The spacing between the gate panel wall 42 and the adjacent spaced panel or wall 48, 50 or 62 is greater than one-half the diameter of the largest coin expected to be passed through the coin slots 24 and 44, but less than the full diameter of the smallest coin so accepted by the coin box. This means that the largest coin will pivot downwardly (vertically) upon the edge of the gate slot 44 before it reaches the spaced panel or wall next thereto adjacent, and so will the smallest coin. The height of the slots 24 and 44 or 114 is such as to allow for such pivoting and passage of the coins, but not for more than that.

The slide gate, being normally in its lower at-rest position upon the headed support pins 40, maintains a through passage for the coins. But when the slide gate inverts and closes off the chute coin slot 24, there is no way for the coins to exit from the chamber of box 60 unless the cover 70 is removed. Because of the limiting space between the gate panel 42 and the adjacent spaced panel or wall 48, 50 or 62, there is insufficient room for rotation of the coins even if the slide gate panel 42 should be moved to bring its slot opening 44 into register with the chute slot opening 24. Unless the coins can rotate into such slots, it will not be possible for them to escape from the coin box chamber. To bring such coins again through these slots is extremely diflicult, if possible at all, because of the controlled spacing between the slide panel 42 and the adjacent spaced panel or wall as herein disclosed.

The same is true for the pivoted gate 96 which has no opening in the closure leaf panel of the hinged gate. When this closure overlies the coin slot opening 24, here again the adjacent spaced panel 94 or coin box wall 62 will prevent rotation of the coins, which is required for them to enter the coin slot 24 even if the gate leaf 100 is pivoted away from the opening 24.

Removal of the coin box cover 70 is effected by unlocking the lock 78, pivoting the cover 70 slightly upward and disengaging the lug 84 from slot 66 of the box rear wall 64. Upon such removal, the collected coins can be poured out of the coin box chamber through the open front end or the open top of the box. The cover 70 is again attached by reversing this procedure.

The theft-preventing coin box receiving device 10, in any of its modifications, and the coin receiving box 60 and cover 70 therefor, are or can be made of sheet metal, although all of these components, or part of them, can also be fabricated of plastic materials.

Although certain particular embodiments of the invention are herein disclosed for purposes of explanation, further modifications thereof, after study of this specification, will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Reference should be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a coin collecting box, the combination of elements comprising a coin receiving and passing device secured to and in said coin box having wall means defining a coin receiving opening,

an inclined coin slide panel under said opening,

a front wall having a coin slot adjacent the lower end of said inclined panel connected thereto and adapted to pass a coin therethrough into said coin box,

said coin slot having a width substantially that of said front wall and a height greater than the thickness of the thickest coin and less than one-half the diameter of said thickest coin expected to be passed through said slot,

a gate for said coin slot normally adapted to open said slot for passage of coins therethrough and to close said slot against passage of coins in the reverse direction when said gate is substantially inverted,

and a gate panel substantially in parallel with the plane of said gate when closed upon said coin slot and spaced therefrom a distance greater than half the diameter of the largest coin and less than the full diameter of the smallest coin expected to be passed through said slot.

2. The structural combination defined in claim 1, and wherein said gate comprises a pair of spaced apart parallel slotted end panels,

and a connecting front panel,

said gate being slidingly mounted on said wall means at said slotted end panels,

said front panel having a coin passing slot therethrough in register with said front wall coin slot when said gate is in normal coin slot opening position,

said front panel being slidingly disposed closely adjacent said front wall.

3. The structural combination defined in claim 2, and wherein said sliding gate front panel has a closure portion below its coin slot adapted to overlie and close said front wall coin slot against egress of coins from said coin box 7 when said gate is inverted from its normal coin passing position.

4. The structural combination defined in claim 2, and wherein said spaced gate panel is secured to and spaced from said sliding gate.

5. The structural combination defined in claim 4, and wherein said spaced gate panel is secured to and depends from a web portion connecting it to said gate front panel.

6. The structural combination defined in claim 4, and wherein said spaced gate panel is channel shaped and provided with a pair of spaced apart legs secured to said gate end panels.

7. The structural combination defined in claim 2, and wherein said spaced gate panel comprises the side of said coin box adjacent and facing said sliding gate.

8. The structural combination defined in claim 1, and wherein said gate comprises a hinged gate leaf pivotally secured to said front wall below said coin slot therein,

said gate leaf. normally pivoting into a coin slot opening attitude therebelow, and adapted to close said coin slot against egress of coins from said coin box when pivoted into a coin slot overlying position.

9. The structural combination defined in claim 1, and wherein said gate comprises a pair of pivoting hinged leaves,

one of said leaves being fixedly secured to said front wall below said coin slot therein,

the other of said leaves being free to pivot normally in a coin slot opening position and to close said coin slot against egress of coins from said coin box when pivoted into a coin slot overlying position.

10. The structural combination defined in claim 8, and wherein said spaced gate panel is web connected to and depends from said front wall.

11. The structural combination defined in claim 8, and wherein said spaced gate panel comprises the side of said coin box adjacent and facing said pivoting gate.

12. The structural combination defined in claim 1, and wherein said gate comprises a pivoting gate body portion,

a pivot pin secured to said device below said inclined slide panel supporting said pivoting body portion,

said body portion normally depending from said pivot pin in a coin slot opening attitude therebelow, and adapted to pivot toward and close said coin slot against egress of coins from said coin box when said gate is pivoted into coin slot overlying position.

13. The structural combination defined in claim 12, and wherein said pivoting body portion is formed with a tubular end receiving and supported by said pivot pin,

said tubular end having a pivoting detent extending therefrom and adapted to bear upon the underside of said inclined slide panel to limit the rearward pivoting movement of said body portion.

14. The structural combination defined in claim 12, and wherein said spaced gate panel is web-connected to and depends from said front wall and substantially parallel therewith.

15. The structural combination defined in claim 12, and wherein said spaced gate panel comprises the side of said coin box adjacent and facing said front wall.

16. The structural combination defined in claim 12, and wherein said spaced gate panel is channel-shaped and provided with a pair of spaced apart legs secured to said wall means,

said gate panel being disposed substantially in parallel with said front wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,638 12/ 1909 Gunnes 23244 1,063,758 6/1913 Yeo et a1 232-62 JAMES C. MITCHELL, Primary Examiner 

